IRELAND'S FINE PRESS REVIVAL

Britton, Coburn (1901–1996)

Cap with Bells [Limited Edition of 320 Copies Illustrated by Harry Kernoff & Noel Sheridan]

Dublin, Ireland: Dolmen Press, 1959.
A BEAUTIFUL, NEAR-FINE SPECIMEN OF POST-WAR DUBLIN TYPOGRAPHY AND GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION, MARKING THE LITERARY DEBUT OF COBURN BRITTON.

This beautifully preserved copy of Coburn Britton’s poetic suite represents the author's very first published book, issued as one of only 320 copies by Liam Miller’s legendary Dolmen Press. Serving as a foundational example of post-war Irish book design, this slim volume single-handedly resurrected fine printing in Ireland, filling the void left by the pre-war Dun Emer and Cuala Presses.

The landmark collaborative production features striking modernist woodcuts by celebrated Dublin artist Harry Kernoff alongside fluid ink washes by abstract painter Noel Sheridan. It represents a deliberate bridge between the traditional Irish book arts revival and the mid-century avant-garde, capturing a moment when independent typography matched international fine-press aesthetics.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Visuals: Illustrated throughout with bold, expressionistic black-and-white woodcuts by Harry Kernoff and complementary textured ink washes by Noel Sheridan. The front wrap features an striking Kernoff woodcut printed in red. 
+++ Binding: Original cream-colored stiff card-stock stapled wrappers with the printed outer paper covers pasted over the spine line.
+++ Content: The complete text of Britton's introspective poetry, including his focal seasonal piece, Three Christmas Bells. 
+++ Imprint: Dublin, Ireland: The Dolmen Press, November 1959. Limited First Edition. 
+++ Specs: 5.25 by 7.5 inches; unpaginated text block [2 blank, 2, 7-38, 1, 1 blank].

LIMITATION: This volume represents the complete first and only printing of this collection. As stated in the colophon on the final printed page, the edition was strictly limited to a small press run of only 320 copies printed on fine paper at the Dolmen Press, Dublin, before the type was distributed.

CONDITION: Near Fine. The stapled card wrappers remain firm, square, and structurally secure, with no splitting or pulling along the pasted-over outer paper spine. The interior pages are exceptionally clean, bright, and completely free of thumbing, foxing, or owner inscriptions. The delicate cream-colored outer wrappers show only minimal, uniform shelf handling and very minor, faint smudging to the rear panel, consistent with standard storage. A collection-grade survival of a fragile, small-press pamphlet.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
The Dolmen Press is universally recognized as the savior of modern Irish fine printing. Founded by architect-turned-publisher Liam Miller, the press created a dedicated venue for Irish writers and artists when mainstream commercial publishers ignored aesthetic book arts.

This 1959 printing of Cap with Bells highlights the extraordinary network of talent Miller assembled in Dublin. Coburn Britton’s poetry represents the reflective, post-independence generation of Irish writers. Rather than recycling the mythic nationalism of W.B. Yeats or Lady Gregory, Britton engages with personal and spiritual themes, using standard liturgical structures like Christmas bells as a framework for lyrical introspection.

The visual execution brings the text into the realm of high graphic art. Harry Kernoff, a legendary figure in Irish modernism and a mainstay of the Irish-Jewish artistic community, provides the heavy, structural woodcuts that balance the fluid, abstract washes of a young Noel Sheridan. This convergence of fine poetry, masterful illustration, and meticulous typographic layout makes the volume a critical primary document for studying the mid-century cultural landscape of Dublin.

SCHOLARLY FEATURES
+++ The Dolmen Press Impact: Illustrates the early, defining design philosophy of Liam Miller, who founded the press in 1951 to rescue Irish book production from aesthetic stagnation by pairing fine typography with local artists.
+++ Artistic Modernism: Features the graphic work of Harry Kernoff (1900–1974), a pivotal figure in 20th-century Irish art who famously captured Dublin’s working-class urban landscape and contributed immensely to the visual culture of the post-revival period.
+++ Post-Revival Narrative: Documents the shifting landscape of Irish literature in the 1950s, where writers moved away from the nationalist and political themes of the earlier Irish Literary Revival toward deeply introspective, spiritual, and personal exploration.

SUBJECTS: Coburn Britton, Harry Kernoff, Noel Sheridan, Liam Miller, Dolmen Press, Irish Literature, Irish Art, Modernist Woodcuts, Fine Press Movement, Dublin Publishing, Limited Edition, Poetry, Illustrated Book, Small Press Multiple.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: For a complete history of the imprint, see Liam Miller's Duffy's Cut: A Bibliographical History of the Dolmen Press (1987).

Item #20196

Price: $450.00